According to the latest Affinity report, pet abandonment is the main animal welfare problem in Spain. Among other data, in 2022, around 162,000 dogs and 124,000 cats arrived at the shelters in our country. That is why, with the arrival of the summer period and family holidays, the Health Department is asking pet owners to be responsible. "Now comes a few months when there is animal abandonment. We want to insist that families who once decided to have a pet do not abandon them, and they are responsible because they are also a family member," said the Councillor for Health, Candela León (Cs).

The Councillor insists that families who are going on holiday and cannot take their pet with them should opt for kennels or specialised centres. "We want to remember that there are places dedicated to animal care during the holiday period, such as hotels, residences, or in the same zoosanitary park of the municipality. If we want zero culling in our municipality, it is important that we do not abandon them," said León.

Among the abandonment causes: are economic reasons, unwanted litter, animal behavioural problems or the end of the hunting season. The Health Department reminds us that when you are adopting or buying you make a lifelong commitment. "It is important to know that when we decide to offer our home to a pet, we must be consistent and be sure that we are going to take care of it throughout its life as it deserves," said the Councillor.

Finally, the Health Department also reminds us that if a family decides to give up the animal they once took in, they should not abandon it to its fate on the street, but rather go to shelters, refuges or animal shelters, as they will take care of finding new companions for it.

Significantly, in 2020, in only 5.1% of the cases, families handed over their pets to these centres, while in the rest, they were collected by shelters, handed over by the police or by a private individual.
 

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